Call for calm: Current Water Minister David Littleproud addresses a meeting with Mr Joyce watching on.

ABC Rural: Olivia Ralph

A Murray-Darling Basin community leader says the former agriculture minister originally opposed water purchases from the St George properties Kia Ora and Clyde, as the Queensland Government suggests the Commonwealth failed to act on a better deal.

Key points Barnaby

Key points:

Former mayor says Barnaby Joyce was originally opposed to water buybacks to meet water targets

She said eyebrows were raised in the community when the $80m buybacks for 28GL of overland flow water occurred

The Qld Natural Resources Minister says he originally supported buying two properties with 57GL of water worth $123m

Now the former mayor of the Balonne Shire Council, Donna Stewart, has told ABC Rural that Mr Joyce was originally opposed to the idea of purchasing overland flow licences at St George.

"Barnaby was opposed to it because I think he realised that buying such a large volume of water right on the doorstep of St George was going to have a very severe impact on the town and the surrounding people," she said.

Donna Stewart says Mr Joyce was originally opposed to the idea of purchasing overland flow licences at the properties.

Donna Stewart says Mr Joyce was originally opposed to the idea of purchasing overland flow licences at the properties.

ABC News: Arlie Felton-Taylor, file photo

Ms Stewart said she did not believe Mr Joyce had an alternative plan, but he had been under increasing pressure to meet water recovery targets.

"It sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb, having to provide water to meet those targets," she said.

"It was quite obvious that Kia Ora had a big holding of water and that they would be the ones that would find the solution to the problems that they were encountering."

Ms Stewart said the price of almost $80 million paid by the Commonwealth for 28GL of overland flow raised eyebrows in the community.

"People were quite amazed at the price, but when it's the only way left of meeting those targets of the [basin] plan, it's pretty obvious that … when you're in that situation and you need that [water] to meet those targets you were going to increase the price of what had been paid in the past," she said.

Anthony Lynham says he supported a very different deal in 2015, an opportunity the Commonwealth wasted.

ABC News, file photo

But Queensland Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham told the ABC today he had supported a very different deal in 2015, and that the Commonwealth had wasted an opportunity.

"Bob Baldwin was the assistant [environment] minister, but he was responsible for water, and when I had my first ever ministerial conference Bob Baldwin introduced me to the concept of the Eastern Agricultural properties where there were two properties available with 57GL of water available," Dr Lynham said.

Dr Lynham said that in 2015, working with Mr Baldwin, the Queensland Government had expressed support for the potential purchase of the properties Kia Ora and Clyde, including all the water rights.

"We thought that this was a good deal for Queensland, it would help us meet our commitments to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan because it was the water, the two properties, and the infrastructure," he said.

But Dr Lynham said discussion around the proposal was discontinued by the Commonwealth in late 2015, coinciding with Mr Baldwin being replaced as minister by Mr Joyce.

What is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and why are we still talking about it?

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"That was a decision for the department. I'm at arm's length to that," he said.

"I am not responsible for the vendor or the purchase."

He said Liberal MP Greg Hunt, who was agriculture minister in 2015 when an earlier deal was rejected, would have been acting on departmental advice also, but Mr Joyce offered no insight into why the water buyback went ahead in 2017 and for a higher price.

"I'm quite happy if people want to test the veracity of what I'm saying to do so by whichever means they want," Mr Joyce said.

"I'm absolutely confident that we have done absolutely nothing wrong."

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Scott Morrison says Barnaby Joyce acted within the...

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